Severus Snape's Secret
by I Am Maleficent
Summary: After a long day of teaching and mourning lost love, Professor Snape goes to have a drink at the Three Broomsticks. But little does he know that something will come back to him, something that he didn't expect.
1. Chapter 1

Severus Snape's Secret

Disclaimer, I do NOT own Harry Potter, nor do I own any of the related characters. I do, however, own my OCs (There might be a few). That is all.

Prologue

It was never his intention to have a family. Instead, it was practically the opposite. After everything he went through in his own child, Severus decided not to have children of his own. But that was before he met Lily Evans. The woman he met as a child, who grew into the woman he loved unconditionally. Unfortunately, James Potter liked her too. Severus got knots in his stomach when he saw the two together. She was his first. But James had swept her off her feet. And what was he left with? A broken heart.

After he lost Lily, Severus was just never the same. He wanted her back more than anything. And on one night when he was feeling particularly down, Severus found himself in the Three Broomsticks after a long day. After a few Firewhiskeys, he noticed a pretty young woman with red hair and green eyes, smiling at him. In his drunken daze, he thought she was Lily. So naturally, he walked up to her and started flirting.

One thing led to another, and the next thing he knew, Severus woke up with a mild headache and a stranger in bed next to him.

Severus was full of regret, especially when she left him, not even knowing that she was pregnant.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

"Hermione," Harry started, after a thought had crossed his mind. Hermione looked up from her book. Their fifth year at Hogwarts had just started, but she still had her nose in her books. All the time, of course. "What?" Hermione wondered. "Have you noticed that Professor Snape has been acting pretty...Odd lately?" Harry asked. "No. Not really. Why?" Hermione replied. "Well, there's this first year girl I swear looks just like him. Does that seem strange to you?" Harry responded. Hermione looked over to the Slytherin table and just in front was Snape, his back to her. "He's just talking to the Slytherins." Hermione said, turning. "Harry, can you point out the girl?" Ron asked, joining the conversation. He had just broken himself from staring at Hermione. "Yeah, uh, do you see the girl with black hair, braids and brown eyes?" Harry wondered. Hermione looked slightly to the right of Harry's head. "Yes." she replied. "Which one is she?" Ron asked. Hermione took Ron's head by his chin an maneuvered it to the same direction she was looking in. "Oh." Ron mouthed. "She looks a lot like him. You see it too, right?" Harry questioned. "Guess so." Ron and Hermione synchronized.

After a few minutes of wondering on this new discovery, the sorting had just started. As usual, first years were called up one by one.

But one name stood out.

"Siniva Snape." Professor McGonagall called.

The young girl whom Harry had pointed out earlier walked slowly to the front of the Great Hall and sat. "Slytherin!" the Sorting Hat proclaimed, upon being placed on Siniva's head. Siniva slipped easily off the stool and walked over to the Slytherin table. She sat and introduced herself to a few of her new peers.

"Dad, can I ask you something?" Siniva wondered. "Of course." Snape replied,sitting to face her. "Do you think I'll be accepted here?" Siniva asked. "Of course I think so." Snape replied. "But what if people make fun of me? What if they talk badly about me, dad? What are you going to do then?" Siniva continued. "You just let me worry about that. I know what I'm doing." Snape replied. "Ok dad. Thanks." Siniva said, hugging him. "You're welcome. Now go to bed, or I'll have to take your books." Snape said. "Alright. Goodnight dad." Siniva replied. She hugged Snape again and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

The fifth year Gryffindor and Slytherin students sat in Potions class later the next morning, while Snape watched like a hawk. It was a new game he had started, which he liked to call 'Verbally Attack the First Student that Screws Up'. So far, the students were doing pretty well. But that didn't mean he couldn't make up an excuse to call out one student in particular. "Malfoy!" Snape called. Draco looked up to see the Potions Master beckoning to him. "I wonder what Malfoy's done this time." Harry muttered to Ron. "Probably something stupid." Ron murmured back. "No. Stupid is Crabbe and Goyle's department." Harry said, nodding vaguely in the direction of the pair. Crabbe sat in front of a smoldering cauldron while Goyle smacked the back of his head and said "Too many Lacewings!". Draco made it to the front of the dungeon. Snape grabbed the back of his shirt and swept off into a small back room. "Why do you suspect Snape's dragged Malfoy into his office?" Dean asked Harry and Ron. "Dunno. Maybe he's in trouble." Harry replied.

Snape sat at his desk, Draco across from him. "You're probably wondering what this is about." Snape said, as if reading Draco's mind. Draco nodded. "I need you to keep an eye on Siniva." Snape said. "Keep an eye on her?" Draco repeated, questioning this. "Yes." Snape replied. "I don't think an eleven year old needs a babysitter." Draco said. "Not like that. I'm just worried about her. I want you to make sure she's doing ok. I can't watch her all the time." Snape told him. Draco nodded again and spoke. "I understand what you mean. I'll do it." Snape stood and nodded back. "Thank you." he said. Snape indicated to the door, signaling to Draco that he was dismissed.

After Potions class ended, the fifth years flooded out from the dungeon like a pack of animals. Crabbe and Goyle stood by Draco's sides, Goyle still mad at Crabbe about earlier. "I can't believe you blew up that potion!" he said. "I told you, Longbottom bumped into me and I spilled the lacewings!" Crabbe argued. "Draco, whose fault was it that our potion blew up?" Goyle asked, trying to get a third party's opinion. "I think you should both shut up about this." Draco responded, glancing around the corridor. He spotted Siniva standing a few feet away, staring at one of the portraits. "You guys go off to lunch. I'll catch up." Draco said, waving Crabbe and Goyle away. They turned the corner and stalked off to the Great Hall. Draco walked over to Siniva and stood next to her. "Hey." he said. "Oh, hi." Siniva replied, breaking eye contact with the portrait. "Having a staring contest with a portrait, are you?" Draco wondered. "No, no. He was just telling me about the First Wizarding War. I just asked what had happened to his ear..." Siniva replied. "Yeah, it's best not to ask these guys questions like that. They tend to launch into stories. It's never just a quick answer." Draco informed. "Excuse me, young man, but I am _not_ boring!" the portrait suddenly said. "Not boring. _Stories_." Draco said, this time louder. "Oh, you want to hear a story?! Excellent! I'll tell you about the time I contracted Dragon Pox. What a fine Christmas that was." The portrait continued to speak, even though Draco had swept Siniva off. "So, how are you liking school so far?" he asked. "It's good, I guess. I just wish there was less homework." Siniva answered, shrugging. "That's how I felt my first year. Once we're farther into the year, you get used to it." Draco said. "Really? Great. Because History of Magic is so dull." Siniva said. "The year will go by quickly. You won't have to bother with that class for long." Draco informed. "That's good to hear." Siniva replied, sighing. "Are you ok?" Draco wondered. "Yeah, fine. It's just that sometimes I find it a little hard to breathe. It's something that I've had since I was a baby." Siniva replied, shrugging. She and Draco continued walking to the Great Hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Siniva had always been a secretive girl. She didn't like to share her deep thoughts with people. Even as a young child, she preferred to keep her thoughts in her head and didn't write even a single one down until later in life. She felt like it would be a better idea to avoid telling people about the thoughts that ran through her head. But now, talking to Draco, everything felt different. Siniva, for once, felt like she had a friend that she could trust with her secrets.

"I mean, can you believe it? He thought I couldn't handle coming to school here." Siniva said. "Uh, nope. Can't believe that." Draco said. "It's as if he thinks I'm such a loner that he has to tell people to be my friends. I'm just glad it's not like that with you." Siniva said. "Yeah...It's not like your dad told me to keep an eye on you or something." Draco said. After hearing what had slipped his mouth, he regretted saying anything. "What?" Siniva asked, turning to face Draco. "Nothing." Draco tried. But salvaging the conversation at this point was an impossibility. "My dad told you to _keep an eye on me_?" Siniva questioned. Draco really wished he hadn't said anything. "No, of course not." he lied. "I knew it! My dad doesn't trust me and he still treats me like a child!" Siniva said, flustered. She stormed off in the opposite direction, down the way of the dungeons. "Siniva, wait!" Draco called, following her. Crabbe and Goyle were approaching Draco, looking rather sweaty. "Oh, there you are, Draco-" Goyle started. "Not now, you blokes!" Draco said. "What's his deal?" Crabbe asked. Goyle shrugged in reply. Draco tried to keep following Siniva, but now he couldn't find her. "Damn." he muttered, thinking of where she had gotten to. Draco ran as quickly as he could to the dungeons when he heard yelling from Snape's office. And Professor Snape wasn't the one yelling.

"Honestly dad, why can't you just let me off the leash for once? I'm starting a new life here now, and with you constantly trying to watch me, I feel like a caged owl! I need a little independence and I need to learn to figure things out for myself. I'm not a baby anymore, so you can stop trying to hold me back from my life! I need to grow up, dad!" Siniva yelled. Draco was too late to stop her. The damage had been done. The office door opened and Siniva stormed out. Professor Snape appeared in the doorway, looking sad. Draco hadn't known it was possible. "Professor, I didn't mean-" Draco started. Snape said nothing, shutting his office door. Draco, head down, walked out of the dungeons and back to the Slytherin common room. Maybe there was something he could say to Siniva so she knew he never meant any harm.

"Leave me alone, Draco. I don't want to talk right now." Siniva said. She refused to look at him in the Slytherin common room. "Siniva, please-" he started. Siniva stood up and walked to her dorm. Draco couldn't go in there if he wanted to. "Malfoy, there you are." Crabbe said. "We've been looking for you for half an hour." Goyle added. "Yeah, well, you found me." Draco said, a slight roll in his eyes. "What's with you?" Crabbe wondered. "Nothing." Draco replied, crossing his arms. Crabbe and Goyle exchanged glances but said nothing further.

Snape sat in his office, still thinking about what Siniva had said to him earlier that day. Did she really think what she said? Even if she did, she couldn't stay mad at him forever. Snape thought back to a time when protecting Siniva was easier. When she was little. When she needed him the most. She still did need him, even if at this moment she didn't want to think so. Snape thought back to the bright-eyed, expressive little girl he used to know. Back before his world turned, before Siniva's world turned. It was almost too much to think about. So why not relive it instead? Even if Snape couldn't go back in time, that didn't mean there weren't alternative ways of looking into the past. Right now, the pensieve was his best option. And apparently, his only option.

As soon as he started looking back into the past, Snape could remember it vividly. There was a time when he felt like a man on the run. On the run from his haunting past, his ghosts. But he stopped running because his life got better. And he could thank Siniva for that.

 _Snape stood at the front door of the house on Spinner's End, wearing a heavy black cloak. A small bundle was concealed in his arm, something he was trying to hide. For now, anyway. Where he would go was unclear, but this was something he had to do. And Snape took off in the rain, on that early, foggy morning._

 _Snape arrived at a small building. Or, in reality, a rather large house. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy's house, to be exact. He knocked on the door three times. The door opened and Snape was face to face with Lucius. "Severus. Come in." Lucius said. "I need your help, Lucius." Snape said, walking inside. "My help?" Lucius questioned. "Yes." Snape replied. "What is this about?" Lucius asked. "The Dark Lord is persistent about what we do, I worry that he will one day try to drag me down with him. And if that happens, Siniva will have no one." Snape started. "And what if something were to happen to you?" Lucius asked. "That's what I've come to ask of you. What I'm saying is that, should circumstance have it, I would want someone close to me to take Siniva in, someone I can trust." Snape explained. Lucius nodded. "I understand." he said. "So you agree?" Snape asked. "Yes. If an inopportune fate were to befall you, Narcissa and I will take Siniva in." Lucius replied. "Thank you." Snape said. "But in return, I must ask of one thing from you." Lucius added. "Anything." Snape decided. Lucius looked over his shoulder and suddenly quieted his voice. "No matter what they say about me, never let any rumors center around Narcissa and Draco. If I'm living a life full of lying rumors, it doesn't mean they have to." Lucius said. Snape nodded, understanding. "Thank you, Severus." Lucius said. "I'll be off now." Snape said, turning to walk out the door, back to the darkened streets, to Spinner's End._

A sudden knock on his office door disrupted Snape's reverie. He sent the pensieve back to its hiding spot and walked towards the door. He turned the knob and was somewhat surprised to see Hermione Granger standing there. But she wasn't alone. Someone was standing behind her. "Sorry to disturb you, professor, but I just thought you'd like to hear something." Hermione said, stepping aside. Siniva stood behind where Hermione had just been, looking with a facial expression of something between sadness, anger and regret. "Miss Granger, I would like to speak to my daughter alone." Snape said. "Yes sir, I'll just be going." Hermione said, leaving the dungeon in a quickened pace. Snape walked back into his office, cloak sweeping behind him. Siniva followed, shutting the door behind her. "Siniva, what was so important that you needed someone to announce it for you?" Snape wondered. "There...There wasn't anything I wanted to say. She made me come down here." Siniva responded, folding her arms over her chest. "Do you understand that I'm only here for other students to teach them?" Snape asked. "Yes." Siniva replied. "And what reason do you think I have to be here for you?" Snape asked. Siniva said nothing and shrugged. "Siniva, I'm here for you because I'm your father. I'm here to protect you, not just to teach you the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane." Snape said. "They're the same thing. You don't have to intentionally say incorrect things to make me feel smart." Siniva replied. "I'm just trying to prove a point. You mean everything to me." Snape told her. "I know I do." Siniva said, looking down at her feet. "I just wish you would trust me more." Snape sighed. "I _do_ trust you." he informed. "I meant enough to not stick someone to babysit me." Siniva said. "Trust has to be earned." Snape told her. "I know it does. Haven't I earned your trust, dad?" Siniva asked, looking up at him again. "You know I have a hard time trusting people." Snape said, lowering his voice to hide the shaking. "Just tell me how I can earn your trust." Siniva implored. Snape stood. "Just don't shut me out. Trust me, so that I can trust you." he responded. Siniva nodded. "I promise." Snape looked down at Siniva and hugged her. "You're all I have left. I don't want to lose you." Siniva hugged him back. "And I don't want to lose you." After a few quiet minutes, the two let go, having sealed their mutual agreement. "I'll leave you back to your work." Siniva said. She opened the door, stepped over the threshold, kicked the door shut again and walked away. Snape returned to his desk, to return to his memories.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

"I see you've taken to truancy." Peeves said, sneering. He had found Siniva in the hallway while she should have been in History of Magic. "What do you think your father will say when I tell him about this?" Peeves looked down at Siniva, watching the terror in her eyes. "It's not what it looks like. I was just-" Siniva started. "Just _what_ , Miss Snape?" a familiar voice questioned. Professor McGonagall had come upon the hallway in search of Professor Dumbledore, as he had been partaking in his morning rounds about the castle. "You're in for it now, lemon drop." Peeves sniggered, vanishing. "Professor McGonagall, please, let me explain-" Siniva started, turning to face the tall woman. "Miss Snape, it's alright. You are not in trouble. You've done nothing wrong, as far as I can see. Peeves just likes to prod in everyone else's personal lives." Professor McGonagall said gently. Sonia's face flushed with relief. "Thank you, Professor." she said. "Would you like to talk about something, dear? There must be a reason for your current absence from Professor Binns's class." Professor McGonagall said. "I guess I just needed some air..." Siniva said. "Is there something troubling you?" Professor McGonagall asked. "Well, Professor Binns was telling us about a woman who had fell into a river and drowned after she had seen her reflection. She was a witch and, had she known it, she wouldn't have suffered that death and might have lived. I guess it just unsettled me. That's all." Siniva explained, breathing shallowly. "It's perfectly understandable. Not all of us can be strong all of the time. We all have a weak spot." Professor McGonagall said. Siniva nodded slowly. "Shall I walk you back to class, dear?" Professor McGonagall asked. "No, that's fine...I should be fine. You don't have to..." Siniva replied. "I do hope you're alright. Please, talk to someone if something is bothering you." Professor McGonagall said, resting a gentle hand on Siniva's shoulder. Siniva nodded. Professor McGonagall walked away and Siniva turned to go back to class.

"Where did you go? I thought you'd gone missing." Draco said, concerned. "No, I just needed a minute. Professor Binns's lesson was making me a little uneasy." Siniva said. "I'm fine now, but-" Snape stood now at the Slytherin table behind Siniva. "A moment, Draco, I need to have a word with Siniva." he said. "Go ahead. I can wait." Draco said. Snape turned away and led Siniva out of the Great Hall. "Dad, what-" Siniva started. Snape put his hand on her back and looked into her eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked. "What?" Siniva wondered. "Are you feeling well? Did somebody say something to you? Are you hurt?" Snape asked. "No, dad, I'm fine-" Siniva tried to explain. "Then why did I hear that you had disappeared?" Snape questioned. "Who told you that?" Siniva wondered with her eyebrows raised. "That seems to be what everyone thinks is the truth." Snape stated. "No. I'm okay, honestly I am." Siniva said. Snape looked down at her. "Then what happened to you?" Siniva sighed. "Professor Binns just got to me a little, I guess." she admitted. "Just tell me what is going on with you." Snape pleaded, voice quivering. Siniva had one thing on her mind. The same question she had always had and wanted an answer for more than anything. "Who is my mother?" she blurted out. "I-" Snape started. "Who is she? Where is she? Why don't I ever see her? Why doesn't she want me?" Siniva asked, tears starting to run from her eyes. "Siniva, your mother is gone. I haven't seen her or heard anything of her since you were born. She left you with me and she's been untraceable ever since." Snape explained, holding Siniva's arms gently. "For all I know, she's dead. I wish I could tell you all about her, but I can't. I can't because I chose not to remember her. It would have been too painful." Snape said. "She didn't want me." Siniva said weakly. "That's not true. She didn't want _me_." Snape told her. "Then why didn't she take me with her?" Siniva asked. "I would tell you if I knew." Snape replied truthfully. He reached into his pocket. A small vial rested in his palm. "This should tell you what you want to know. I'd rather not see it again. I haven't looked back on that for eleven years now. But if you want to know-" Snape said. "I need the pensieve." Siniva said. "My office." Snape said. "Will you show me?"

 _"_ _Venia. What are you doing here?" A woman, covered in rain, stood on Snape's doorstep. "I'm leaving. But I'm leaving her with you." she answered. "Who do you mean?" Snape wondered. "Your daughter." Snape looked at the infant in his arms now. "What do you expect me to-" Snape began, as the sleeping baby turned in his arms, her back to her mother. But with no other word of reply and a flick of her cloak, the woman who had just stood before Snape was gone._

"So she just left me without saying goodbye." Siniva said. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way. But she just wasn't ready to raise a baby." Snape told her. "Well, it's not all bad. I still have you." Siniva said, hugging Snape around the waist. He put her hand on the back of her head and she smiled. "Any time you need me, don't hesitate to come talk to me. I'm here to guide you, okay?" Snape said. Siniva nodded. Almost uninterrupted, having gotten through a difficult topic of discussion with Siniva, Snape was not exactly pleased when a knocking fell upon his office door. "Professor-" Draco started. Snape motioned for him to step into the room, a gesture to which he complied. "There's someone here to see you." Draco said. Snape raised an eyebrow in question. Before he even had to ask, Draco answered. "She says it's very important." She. She. She who? Professor McGonagall, perhaps? No, Draco would have said so. His lack of specifying who "she" was communicated to Snape that Draco did not know the woman. So far, it wasn't looking like this would be an easy encounter. "Draco, please escort Siniva back to the common room. I'm sure she need not see this." Snape instructed. Draco nodded and led Siniva out of the office, setting off towards the dungeons to Slytherin's common room. Snape sighed and opened the door. Just now, a familiar woman had stepped forward. Snape could never forget that face, no matter how long ago his last encounter with her had been. "Venia, what are you doing here?" he asked, calmness suddenly vacating his voice. "I decided that I might as well pay you a visit." Venia replied, sauntering into the room. "It's been far too long." Snape shut the door. There would be yelling, he already knew that, yelling that nobody needed to hear. "Why do you think that after avoiding me for eleven years, you can just show up again in my life?" Snape demanded, wasting no time in getting to the point. "It just felt like I should see my little girl, that's all." Venia said smoothly, settling herself on the edge of Snape's desk. "And why would you feel like that?" Snape hissed. "You didn't want her." Venia laughed a small, sultry laugh, one that Snape had hoped to never hear again. "As her mother, I just thought that she should be raised by someone who understands her. You know, woman to woman connection. Female intuition." she answered. "You don't have the slightest clue about Siniva, don't you dare say that you understand her." Snape said. " _That's_ what I named her? I had been thinking, for all these years, that it was Scarlet or Sapphire." Venia said, sounding disgusted. "If you can't remember your child's name, what makes you think that you could do well to raise her?" Snape asked venomously. Venia scoffed. "Names mean nothing. Do you think I agreed to spending the night with you because of your _name_? No, I spent that night with you because we were drunk." Snape was burning with fury. "And then having to drag myself through life for nine months with a human growing inside of me. Do you know how hard it is to maintain your looks while incubating another human inside your body?" Venia continued. "Don't you dare speak that way about Siniva. She is the _best_ thing that has ever happened to me. I was the one who held her when she was upset, I was there for her when she was growing up, I devoted every second I could to her, but you abandoned her when she was most vulnerable, not able to care for herself. You care about nobody but yourself and I have thus far been able to spend eleven years with the most caring person I have ever met." Snape said, holding back as much anger as possible. Even still, he was furious. "If you wish to go about your life, stringing along men, dropping more helpless children off so that you don't have to live with that sort of commitment, be my guest. But one thing is certain, and that is the fact that I never want to see you again. Leave my office, leave this school and leave Siniva and I out of this." Snape said, his voice low. Without a word of reply and a swish of her cloak, Venia was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

"Dad? What happened?" Siniva asked as Snape entered the Slytherin Common Room.

"Nothing- It's not important." he told her.

"Dad, I don't believe that. I know that something happened. Otherwise, you wouldn't try to avoid the question." Siniva said.

Snape sighed. He couldn't hide anything from Siniva. She was too smart and she could always tell when something was bothering him.

"Come on, then." Snape said.

Siniva followed him to his office, where they could have complete privacy. Snape sat at his desk, Siniva across from him.

"Clearly, I can't hide anything from you. Are you sure that you want to know what happened in here?" Snape asked.

"I need to know." Siniva told him.

"Well, I hope you're ready to hear the truth." Snape said, pausing before he spoke again. "Your mother was here and she wanted to-"

"Take me away from you, because she said she felt guilty, but she really didn't." Siniva interjected.

It was easy to forget that she was a Legilimens.

"That's exactly it." Snape said.

"I know." Siniva replied casually. "You want her to stay away from us because she's trying to con you again. She took advantage of your vulnerability one night and then-"

Siniva couldn't read into anything else. Snape had blocked her out of his thoughts.

"It's easy to forget you're an Occlumens." Siniva said quietly.

"You wanted to know, Siniva. I will tell you. When you're older." Snape said.

"But dad-" Siniva started.

"I can't bring myself to tell you yet, okay? It's something you can live without knowing. I haven't told you anything of it for eleven years and I think that you can wait a few more." Snape said. "That's final."

"Okay." Siniva replied.

"I just don't want to see you hurt. You've gone through enough already and I want you to be happy." Snape said, hugging Siniva.

"I want you to be happy, too. I love you, dad." Siniva told him.

"Let's just leave this between us. You have a class to get to." Snape said.

"So do you." Siniva responded.

Siniva and Snape left the office, walking out of the common room and down separate corridors.

As Siniva sat in History of Magic, listening to the drone of Professor Binns's voice as he gave another boring lecture, something didn't feel right. She could sense that another presence had come into the castle, but it hadn't quite left.

"Professor," Siniva chimed in, hand raised. "May I run to the lou?"

"You may not. You may walk there." Professor Binns replied, chortling at his little joke. Somebody had to, after all.

"Thank you." Siniva said, standing hastily. She walked out of the room, taking off into a run once she reached the corridor.

Siniva was going to find out where this presence was, what it was and how she could get it to move along.

"Professor-" Hermione started, hand raised above her head. "How many-"

"Miss Granger, if you haven't looked closer to the instructions in your book, that is not my concern." Snape said, cutting Hermione off mid-sentence.

"It doesn't even say in the book." Harry mumbled.

"Greasy git." Ron muttered.

Potions was about to end. It couldn't be any sooner. Snape was still on edge from that morning. Siniva had had so many questions, and she seemed rather upset when she hadn't received any answers.

The sooner this class ended, the sooner he could make sure that Siniva was still okay.

Siniva looked up in confusion at the red-headed woman standing before her. Why she would be on the school grounds, she didn't know.

Siniva knew that this was not a professor and she certainly was not a student. But who was she?

"Hello." the woman said. "I'm looking for my daughter-"

"Oh god, no." Siniva muttered.

This couldn't really be her, could it? This couldn't be her mother. But Siniva knew it was, reading her very thoughts.

"He told you to go away. Why are you still here?" Siniva simmered, taking a step back.

"I've come for you." Venia said.

"No, you didn't. You're a liar. You didn't want me when I was a baby, so why would you want me now? What are you plotting?!" Siniva shot back.

"Can't a mother just want her child?" Venia said.

"Of course she can. But you're not my mother, you've never cared for me." Siniva said.

"Who says I didn't?" Venia asked, smirking.

"You! A caring mother would have been a part of her child's life. You want nothing to do with me, you just want to hurt my father!" Siniva yelled.

"And why would I want to do that?" Venia wondered.

"Because you deceived him, took advantage of him in order to have me. If you really loved him, you would have let him be and not try to change his life!" Siniva snapped.

"Alright, you've caught on. You're a smart girl, aren't you?" Venia said condescendingly.

"Don't treat me like a child. You are a selfish woman. Get off of these grounds and don't come back." Siniva said, grimacing.

"You're so much like him. You would do anything for him, wouldn't you?" Venia continued.

"Get. Out." Siniva repeated.

"Suit yourself. But if I leave, who will torment him?" Venia said, cackling.

With that, Venia walked off the grounds and Siniva went back to class, stomach turning from the unpleasant encounter she had just faced.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

Professor Binns had finished droning on to the class and was assigning their homework when Siniva returned. One of the other girls had taken the rest of the notes for her in her- Siniva's- absence.

"You were gone for quite some time." she whispered.

"Uh, yeah...Moaning Myrtle and...You know how she can be..." Siniva said. This was a believable lie, seeing as it held up some fact; Myrtle _did_ like to trouble students when they crossed her path.

"I hear you. She snuck up on me the other day and started wailing about 'the books' again, as if we didn't already know that people usually throw books through that translucent head of hers..." the girl trailed off.

"Yeah...she'll...show up on you unannounced..." Siniva said.

"Are you okay, Siniva?" the other girl asked.

"Yeah...Fine." Siniva replied, though her stomach was still turning and she was still angry about earlier.

Class ended with Professor Binns's usual closing statement. "I will be checking your homework next week."

Siniva scurried out of the classroom and tried to act as she normally would, but her fists were clenched and her face was more pale, except for her red-hot cheeks.

 _I can't believe it...What will dad say?_

Siniva already thought she knew exactly what her dad would say, but maybe she was just blowing things out of proportion. He wouldn't be angry at her for Venia's prolonged presence in the school, surely.

As Siniva turned a corner and headed for the Great Hall, a hand on her shoulder pulled her back.

"Siniva," Draco started. "Your dad needs to see you."

Siniva's eyes widened, just slightly, so Draco wouldn't notice. The color faded from her cheeks and her natural skin tone returned to the entirety of her face.

"Um...Did he say why?" she asked.

"No, he just needs to see you now." Draco told her. "You'll be fine."

Siniva turned away from the Great Hall and started down toward the Slytherin dungeons, to Snape's office.

"Dad-" Siniva started.

"Sit." Snape said softly.

Without further comment, Siniva sat in a chair next to her father's.

"I'm going to show you something that I've been trying to hold off until you were older...But I think, given the circumstances, I should show you now." Snape said, rising from his chair, collecting a vial of memory from a vast shelf. The silver swirls waltzed within the glass and poured quickly into the Pensieve as Snape uncorked the vial and tipped it.

Snape motioned for Siniva to join him.

Excited, but not sure what to expect in this endeavor, Siniva got up from her chair and crossed the room to the Pensieve.

In seconds, Siniva leaned over the Pensieve, her face breaking the cool surface and she tumbled with unbelievable rapidity back through time. Just as quickly as Siniva had touched back to the stone ground, Snape appeared at her side. He held out his hand, which she took, feeling safer in the dark, cold labyrinth that was this neighborhood.

"Dad, where are we off to?" Siniva wondered.

Snape made a small noise as if about to speak, but remained otherwise silent and steered Siniva around a corner onto another street.

"She won't be home for long." he said suddenly.

"Who?" Siniva asked.

Again, Snape made a small, hesitant noise.

"Oh... _Her_." Siniva said, frowning.

Taking a few side streets and sharp turns on main ones, Snape stopped in front of a large house. Siniva couldn't see his face, but she could tell he was grimacing at the place.

"This is the place." he said, leading Siniva up the walk.

The father and daughter were completely nonexistent as the walked through the front door and stood in the entryway. The walls were papered with cranberry and gray, swirls of gold decorating the corners. A moving portrait was placed every few feet; a young, strapping, brown-haired wizard in a beige fedora to accent his sandy robes; a subtly-tanned witch with striking rose-gold hair sweeping her collarbone as she turned her head- it stood out quite noticeably against her velvet dress of deep emerald- and her eyes resembled a sweet, bubbly champagne; there was a portrait of a younger witch with lilium hair and eyes of diluted lime, grinning at Snape- though this was not the Venia he knew.

 _Mr. and Mrs. Rowan smiled from their portraits._

Snape could not tell whether or not these were genuine. After all, he had never met Venia's parents.

Siniva's eyes fell upon the last portrait; a wizard younger than Mr. Rowan, whose brown hair draped over the champagne eyes inherited from his mother, a smile pointed down at Siniva as if he could really see her.

"Caleb Rowan." Siniva muttered. "Caleb Rowan, Orla Rowan, Gabriel Rowan."

She skipped over the portrait of her mother.

"She should be around here." Snape said.

He looked around the entry hall, taking a few steps forward.

"Whose memory is this?" Siniva wondered.

 _"_ _Venia, where are you going?" came a sudden voice, skipping down the steps. "And where's the baby-"_

 _Lilium hair streaked past a doorway, hiding eyes of diluted lime from a pair of dazzling champagne ones._

 _"_ _I am in no mood to speak of her." Venia said coldly, stuffing tiny clothes into a trunk._

 _"_ _Where are you going?" Caleb asked, walking into the room where his sister slammed the packed trunk onto the floor._

 _"_ _That is none of your concern." she snapped back at him. "I have decided that I will no longer bear this burden-"_

 _"_ _You're not thinking, Venia." Caleb reasoned. "Trust me, she-"_

 _"_ _No, Caleb. You don't understand, not that I would expect my little brother to anyway!" Venia said, louder than before. "I have given birth to a stranger's child and I am not taking responsibility for it. He thinks he can take nine months of my life-"_

 _"_ _Didn't you say he was-" Caleb started._

 _"_ _Well, I'm not having it! No, I am taking her out of here-"_

 _"_ _But you can't honestly expect-" Caleb continued._

 _"_ _And there's nothing you can say to change my mind!" Venia concluded._

 _The two siblings were accustomed to speaking over each other, but never had it been about such a serious matter._

 _"_ _Venia, look at her-" Caleb started._

 _"_ _Caleb Rowan, I have made up my mind." Venia said dangerously. "If you have a problem with my decision, take it to your grave. There is no place for a child in this house and certainly no place for one in my life."_

 _"_ _Mum and dad-" Caleb started._

 _"_ _Mother and father will not have to remember." Venia said. "I'm quite skilled at memory charms-" she held up her wand._

 _Caleb frowned, eyebrows low, cobra's hoods over those champagne orbs._

 _"_ _You can't just abandon-" he started._

 _"_ _I can and I will. Or must I fix_ your _memory?" Venia hissed._

 _Caleb silenced. His eyes fell away from his sister's, where they scoped the floor briefly, before landing upon a sleeping, ebony-haired baby._

 _"_ _How can you stand to get rid of her?" he asked quietly._

 _Venia ignored him as she waved her wand._

 _"_ _Locomotor trunk."_

 _"_ _Be that way." Caleb said. "She'll be better off with someone who will care for her."_

 _Venia strutted out of the house, a trunk following as she carried the baby away with mild disgust._

 _Caleb slammed the door and turned to look out the window, but his sister had already disappeared from view._

Siniva was staring around at her father's office again, the Pensieve sat in front of them.

"Caleb Rowan was still living in the house, last time I checked." Snape said. "I knew that I would need to answer your questions one day, so he chipped in his opinion."

"His opinion being that his sister was a horrendous woman?" Siniva asked, feeling both pride for herself and disdain for her mother.

Snape smiled and nodded.

"That would be the opinion of more than just your uncle. He's moved away from this country in search of a quiet family life, but I managed to meet up with him just before he went."

"I hope he's got everything he wanted." Siniva said. "He seemed nice."

"He was definitely not like his sister, I will say that much." Snape replied. "But now that you've seen one side, it's only fair that I show you the next."

He uncorked another vial and the dancing stream of silver fell into the Pensieve.

Siniva's face broke the surface once more and she landed on a stone walkway as her father appeared next to her.

"Where are we now?" Siniva asked, looking up into Snape's focused, black eyes.

" _My_ memory." he responded.

 _Lilium hair shone under a streetlight some feet away, covering eyes of diluted lime and a scowl stretched from ear to ear._

 _The packed trunk at one side, Venia turned and headed toward one of the many houses on Spinner's End._

 _She knocked furiously on the front door, tapping her foot impatiently, releasing the trunk from her enchantment._

 _The front door opened and Venia stood in front of Snape, eleven years younger._

 _"_ _Venia?" he asked._

Siniva stared at the scene in front of her, mouth agape.

 _"_ _Severus." Venia hissed._

 _"_ _What are you doing here?" Snape asked._

 _Without saying anything more, Venia pushed the small, ebony-haired baby into Snape's arms and disapparated._

 _Hair falling in front of his face as he looked down at the baby, Snape was momentarily caught off-guard. But, quickly regaining himself, he smiled. He took his daughter inside, along with the hastily-packed trunk._

 _The tiny girl's pale, pinkish skin tone indicated that she had been born quite recently. And, assuming she did not already have a name, Snape pondered this for a few moments._

 _"_ _Siniva," he said quietly. "Siniva Lily Snape."_

 _She yawned and continued to sleep. Snape nodded to himself. But, he realized quickly that his house was not quite set up to fit the new resident. Some things would have to be changed, other things, he realized, he may have to get rid of completely. But, it would all be worthwhile, he knew, to have Siniva here._

 _Snape smiled at her again and, with a short flick of his unrenowned wand, a basket appeared in the corner of the room. For now, this would be adequate._

Siniva's feet reunited with the floor of her father's office and she stared down at the Pensieve once again, as the magnificent silver memory rippled out of sight.

"Dad?" she asked quietly.

Snape looked down at Siniva as his form made contact with the present again.

"You've done everything for me, and-"

Siniva stopped speaking briefly, blinking small tears out of her eyes.

"It's okay," Snape said. "I know."

Siniva leaned into his side, thinking again of the lilium hair and eyes of diluted lime, features that she felt so fortunate not to have inherited. She looked so much like Snape and, no matter what anyone ever thought of him, she was proud of her features, because they always reminded her of the only family who had ever loved her. The only family she had ever known. The only family she needed.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

Siniva tossed and turned in bed for a while, hoping to fall asleep. It should have come to her easily after all she had done that day, but it evaded her.

She got up out of bed and walked down toe the common room, hopefully find something to distract her ever-wandering nocturnal mind and soon fall asleep.

"Siniva?"

"Dad," Siniva started, turning to face him. "I can't sleep. I just need to know more, ever since you showed me about Caleb and you..."

"If you're ready to know, come with me." Snape said, opening his office door wider.

Siniva walked into the office, strands of hair falling around her face as she went.

The Pensieve still sat on the desk, smooth, beautiful, memory-revealing stone.

"I collected this memory around the same time I collected one from Caleb Rowan." Snape started, holding a vial to the light. "I would have to say it's dated sometime after you were born, but I'm not sure exactly when. It came from Orla Rowan-"

"My grandmother." Siniva said quietly.

Snape nodded and tipped the memory into the Pensieve.

Siniva leaned forward and fell back into the Rowan home.

 _"_ _Caleb, Gabriel, come quickly!"_

The voice was bubbly and carried a large amount of joy.

 _"_ _It's a girl!"_

 _A young mediwitch stood in the room, attending to the wary woman laying in bed, whose lilium hair draped around her face like sheets of curled silk._

 _The young woman had no desire to speak, it seemed, as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep as her younger brother and father entered the room._

 _"_ _Venia- oh, she's out cold." Caleb said._

 _"_ _Your sister has had a very long day." Orla told him, smiling down at her granddaughter in her arms._

 _"_ _She'll come around. She can't sleep forever." Gabriel said._

 _"_ _We'll let her get some rest, come on. We'll move into the sitting room." Orla said._

 _She paused and turned to the mediwitch._

 _"_ _Astrid, we'll leave Venia with you, for now. If she wakes up, please call us back in."_

 _The young mediwitch nodded._

 _Subjects of portraits moved from frame to frame, whispering excitedly to each other. The portraits of Orla and Gabriel celebrated together; the portrait of Caleb went to chat about the baby with portraits of cousins; the portrait of Venia smiled and tossed primrose petals in the air._

 _It appeared that the portrait was happier about the baby than the_ actual _Venia was. Other than her appearance, no aspect of the portrait mirrored the real Venia._

Siniva watched the portraits for a while before she turned to look at the people in the room.

 _"_ _Mrs. Rowan, Mr. Rowan, she's asking for you." the mediwitch said, tapping lightly on the doorway to announce her presence._

 _Orla and Gabriel hastily made their way back to Venia's room, Caleb following behind after a moment's consideration._

 _"_ _How are you feeling?" Orla asked, sitting at her daughter's bedside._

 _"_ _Painful and exhausted." Venia stated._

 _"_ _That tends to be the case after childbirth." Orla told her._

 _"_ _Oh, don't remind me." Venia said, rolling her eyes. "I_ wish _I could forget about that night, mother."_

 _Caleb stood in the doorway, holding the sleeping baby, silent._

 _"_ _Sometimes there are things we just can't forget, dear." Orla said._

 _"_ _I wish I had never even gone to the Three Broomsticks that night in the first place." Venia said._

 _Rolling off her tongue, the words were venomous._

 _"_ _Why_ did _you go, then?" Orla wondered._

 _"_ _I was desperate, I was stupid. It's as simple as that." Venia said. "And now I've got to deal with the consequences."_

"So this is when she decided she didn't want me?" Siniva asked.

"Yes." Snape told her.

 _"_ _No," Caleb interjected. "You don't. Obviously, you don't want to be a mother, so both of you would be better off if her father raised her."_

 _Venia's lips twitched slightly._

 _"_ _Good to know." she said quietly._

Siniva stared down at the Pensieve slightly taken aback. She had never known _exactly_ when Venia decided to get rid of her. Now that she did, it was clear how much she disliked her.

"I think I'll go to bed, now..." Siniva said.

Everything felt surreal as she slipped below consciousness. In sleep, she was in Orla Rowan's memory again, listening to the same conversation as she had done in the Pensieve. Venia's voice sounded distorted and menacing, but the rest of the family spoke with clear tones, sometimes sad or- in Caleb's case- angry, but reasoning.

And just like that, she was waking up to rays of green, watery sunlight through the windows, courtesy of the sun's reflection off of the Black Lake.

Siniva tried to forget the dream and, for that matter, the memory itself as she got dressed and silently left the dormitory.

Alone, she walked to the Great Hall, sat in thought for a while and left before the crowd swelled.

Later that day, as she sat in Charms, it was easy to focus on the lesson, at first. But, sure enough, her focus wandered back to her family- grandmother, grandfather, uncle- and why she had never met any of them. It was easy to understand that none of them were close to her father- Venia never formally introduced any of them after one night together and a few pithy encounters- but they all seemed to be decent people and she wondered about them.

"Miss Snape, your parchment-" Professor Flitwick squeaked.

Siniva snapped back into the moment of class to see that her notes had nearly gone out the window. She snatched them out of the air and placed them back on her desk, earning a few awkward glances and some snide giggles from boys across the room.

"That's enough," Professor Flitwick told them. "Now, get back to _your_ work, gentlemen."

The boys returned to their own attempts to make some feathers drift upward.

"That's it, very well." Professor Flitwick commented, milling about the room.

Siniva aimed her wand at her feather and practiced 'Wingardium Leviosa' for a while. If only she could stop worrying for now.

Lunch was a no-go. Siniva sat at the table next to Draco and his girlfriend, Thorn Rowle, plus Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Pansy, who seemed to be watching the three of them with mild interest. Blaise watched Pansy from across the table and it seemed like there was something going on there.

Siniva left the Great Hall almost as soon as she had sat down- to get away from the prying questions of fellow first years- and returned to the Common Room, hoping for some quiet time to think.

Where were her grandparents and uncle now? Would they ever want to meet her? Had they ever tried to meet her? Did they know her name? Did they even remember her?

Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't. Whatever the case, Venia had never cared about her and probably didn't care whether or not her family did.

There were two ways that Siniva could find out what she wanted to know, but neither way was foolproof.

The first would be to go to her father and look into his mind; the problem with that was that he was a fantastic Occlumens.

The second would be to look into the Pensieve at all her father's memories that she could, until she found the right one; the problem with that was the fact that he had so many memories stored and it could take far too long to find the right one.

But a third option had just occurred to her. It was the most blunt of them all; ask her father exactly what she wanted to know.

He had never lied to her and would only hide information until she was ready to hear it. Maybe this was the easiest way to get her answers.

Siniva sat in the Common Room, pondering how to go about this. Get right to it or approach it slowly.

The rest of the Slytherins migrated into the Common Room over the next half hour in small clusters.

Siniva felt completely invisible, until a large group of fifth years- including Draco and Thorn- gathered by her.

"Are you okay?" Thorn asked.

"You haven't eaten anything and you haven't spoken to anyone all day." Draco said.

"Did you get a T on a test?" Goyle wondered.

"I did..." Crabbe admitted.

"Not you, moron." Nott told him, thumping him on the side of the head.

"I'm fine, really." Siniva said. "Just thinking about-"

Should she tell them or not? It wouldn't affect any of them. This was really just a family matter, not particularly a lighthearted one.

"It's not important." Siniva said hurriedly, standing to leave.

"So you're sure you didn't get a T on a test?" Goyle asked again.

"I just told you I did." Crabbe said.

"Again, not you, moron." Nott repeated.

Siniva walked up to her dormitory and sat on her bed, a quill in her hand so she could write down everything she wanted to know about her family. All she knew now was their relation to her, what they looked like and that uncle Caleb moved away to start a family and get away from his sister. She had guessed that they were all nice people, from the happiness they showed when she was born, how uncle Caleb had her best interest in mind when he noted that Siniva would be better off with her father and how he seemed surprised when Venia actually went with it, concerned for Siniva's safety when she was removed from the home.

There was so much she wanted to know, but would she get all the answers? Would she even get any?

She was so wrapped up in writing down her thoughts that she fell asleep well past her normal hour. She dropped her quill as she fell into unconsciousness again, dreaming about her two grandparents and uncle again.

It all looked so vivid, it felt like being in someone's memory. She looked up at the cranberry and grey-papered walls with gold swirls accenting the corners, the four portraits- one of which she ignored- the elder couple and the young man.

But it all faded as she drifted back into consciousness, lying on the floor, the quill next to her face smudging her forehead with black ink.

Siniva stood up, gathered her quill and parchment, rubbing her forehead to remove the ink. It faded after a while, but her forehead was still a little ashen.

She went downstairs earlier than usual and seemed to be the first one to the Common Room. But she remembered the parchment she had left upstairs- sprawled out on the floor next to her bed- on which she had written everything she most wanted to know about her past and all that led up to her existence.

She couldn't remember everything off the top of her head, but there were some things she had been thinking about for a very long time.

Siniva ran back up to the dormitory to get the parchment and on her way back down, missed a few steps-


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Thorn was the first to notice Siniva as she descended the stairs from the dormitory. The unconscious first year was not an easy sight to miss.

"Siniva?" Thorn asked, leaning down. "Siniva, can you hear me?"

Thorn took Siniva's right hand and searched for her pulse. She found it, but still, Siniva did not stir.

"Draco, get professor Snape!" Thorn said, as Draco descended the stairs behind her.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

"Siniva's unconscious. Get professor Snape!" Thorn said.

Draco bolted down the staircase, jumping the last few steps and ran to the head of house's office.

"Professor," Draco said, opening Snape's office door. "Siniva's unconscious."

Snape stood so quickly that his chair fell hard onto the floor.

"Where is she?!" he exclaimed.

"The staircase leading from the dormitories." Draco answered quickly, as Snape ran past him. Draco followed at a short distance.

Thorn was still sitting on the stairs next to Siniva when Snape came running, worry hollowing out his face.

"What happened?" Snape asked Thorn, kneeling at Siniva's other side.

"I don't know. I was walking down the stairs a little while earlier and she was right here. I tried to wake her up, but she was unresponsive." Thorn explained, as Draco took her into his arms. "She's still breathing."

Snape picked up Siniva's limp body and carried her back to his office. The parchment drifted down the steps, unnoticed and ignored. Right now, it did not matter.

While making students nervous as they worked was usually one of Snape's favorite pastimes, he was constantly distracted by his thoughts about Siniva. How was she doing, was she awake, was she okay and would she remember anything when she woke up?

He circled the room, as usual, like a large bat, sweeping past desks, staring into random cauldrons.

Of course, Hermione's hand was raised. But, surprisingly, she didn't ask about the quality of her potion or say that she had finished brewing it.

"Miss Granger?" Snape said.

"Professor, your daughter." Hermione said, looking over to Snape's office door.

Snape turned around and, sure enough, there was Siniva, standing in the doorway. She was paler than usual and took a step forward, stumbling just a bit as she did.

Snape told the class to finish their assignments and ushered Siniva back into his office, closing the door firmly.

"What happened?" Siniva asked.

Snape sat her back on the couch and sat in a chair facing her. At first, he didn't say anything, but he did hug Siniva and kiss her forehead.

"Are you feeling okay?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I guess. Kind of sore and confused- what happened?" Siniva said, a fair amount of uncertainty in her voice.

"You fell down the stairs. You were unconscious for about two hours." Snape explained to her. "Do you remember anything before now?"

Siniva thought back and nodded. "I had questions to ask you. I wrote them down, but I left my parchment upstairs this morning. I ran back up to get it and I tripped."

The parchment on the stairs made sense now. It made sense why Siniva had fallen down the stairs.

"And that's all you can remember?" Snape asked.

Siniva nodded.

"All that matters to me is that you're okay." Snape told her.

"Can I ask you a few questions?" Siniva wondered.

"Anything you want to know, I'll tell you." Snape responded.

Siniva's first question was fairly simple to answer. She followed up with a few more basic questions, but suddenly, she asked something very difficult.

"Would you have kept me even if I looked like her?"

Snape never thought he would have to answer this question, but he always knew what he would say.

"I would have kept you and loved you no matter what you looked like. You are the only good thing that came out of a bad experience. You've made my life so much better." Snape answered.

Even though she was still a little disoriented, Siniva knew this to be true. Her father had spent eleven years raising her, rather than questing for a woman that would love him. She knew why- he had thought about it many times before.

"You and Lily would have made a great couple." Siniva said.

"Maybe. But if she and I had ended up together, I wouldn't have you, would I? And I've never thought once about that." Snape said.

"You haven't?" Siniva asked.

"No. It has been a very long time since romance has crossed my mind." Snape answered.

Maybe it would have been easier to communicate silently to each other, but Siniva seemed to understand what her father said. Her head just hurt a little, that was all, wasn't it?

"I want you to rest now, okay? You'll feel better. I can give you something for the pain, if you need it." Snape said.

"I'll be okay. I love you, dad." Siniva said, closing her eyes.

"I love you, too."

"Hey, you feeling okay?" Draco asked Siniva when she entered the common room.

"Yeah." Siniva responded. "My head still hurts a little, but I feel a bit more aware now, I'm remembering things clearly."

"I'm glad to hear you're okay." Draco said.

"We weren't sure how long it would be until you woke up." Thorn said. "I don't think we've ever seen your dad so worried."

"He couldn't focus while he was teaching. He kept pacing the front of the room and had Thorn and I watch the class." Draco added.

"He went back into his office every few minutes and stayed for about ten." Thorn said.

Of course he had worried, Siniva was his only child. And of course he would worry immensely, she was unconscious with no estimated time of awakening.

"Everyone thought he had lost his mind." Draco added.

"Why do they think so poorly of my dad? If they saw how he was outside of class, I think they would like him, or at least tolerate him." Siniva said. "They only see their least favorite professor. Gotta go.'

Siniva left the conversation in favor of finding her father.

"There you are." Snape said, looking up from the stone basin Siniva knew so well. "Come here, Sinnie, I need to show you something."

Siniva walked into the office and stood next to Snape.

"I know I've shown you some memories regarding Venia, so you already know all about her." Snape said, falling silent for a few seconds as a scowl plastered his mouth shut. "But you haven't seen a lot of Caleb. I'm not sure how much you remember, but you've had more encounters with him than you have with Venia."

"I really don't remember him." Siniva said, now questioning her memories, wracking her brain for anything.

But she didn't have to remember. Her father remembered plenty and she would be able to sink into those memories.

The silver stream of reverie danced into the Pensieve and Siniva fell through.

 _Spinner's End was dark and laden with soft, white, shimmering snow. Lights hung in the Snape residence, but not in the way Muggles would usually picture._

 _Small orbs of light hovered near the windows, visible from the streets, but blurred minimally by the windows, and slightly more by the translucence of the curtains._

 _The inside of the house was saturated with light and conversation. Caleb Rowan and his wife had come to visit for the holidays with their two children. The twins were almost one year old, as they had been born sometime before Venia found out she was pregnant with Siniva._

 _Celina Rowan had set her sleeping twins down for the night and joined Caleb and Snape in the sitting room._

 _"I doubt she would come back. Knowing Venia, she'll stay until she gets what she wants, then she'll leave." Caleb said._

 _"Well, she didn't want children, so what would she have wanted with me in the first place?" Snape said._

 _"Sometimes she just likes to inconvenience people." Caleb told him._

 _"But why does she do this?" Snape asked._

 _"I really don't know, but she tends to like to make people miserable." Caleb answered._

 _"Well, she's done it. Her unwelcome presence in my life has caused me extreme grief." Snape said._

 _"She can't just keep coming back forever. She'll have to stop some time." Caleb told him._

 _Snape hoped that it would be sooner rather than later._

 _Siniva looked so peaceful sleeping, nothing in the world to worry her._

 _"I don't think she would be able to find you if you moved." Celina put in._

 _"That may be true, but I don't feel right about uprooting mine and Siniva's life just to possibly avoid any further encounters with Venia." Snape told her. "Besides, if I were to move, I would need to find someplace quiet and child-friendly to live. I already know that this house holds such qualities."_

 _Siniva fidgeted in her sleep._

 _"So I guess moving is out of the question, then?" Caleb wondered._

 _"Yes." Snape said._

 _Snape and Siniva followed Memory-Snape upstairs, unseen shadows in the hall._

 _"Goodnight, Sinnie. I love you." Snape said, kissing her forehead._

 _He left her to sleep and walked back downstairs._

Snape and Siniva were right behind Memory-Snape when he reached the sitting room.

 _Caleb and Celina had started a conversation in Snape's absence. It could have been a personal conversation, but they wouldn't talk about something private unless they were relatively alone._

 _This discussion just happened to be somewhat opinionated._

 _"She's always been terrible. She was very sweet to my parents but she made my life miserable. I was overjoyed when she finished Hogwarts and moved away from home. I hate to say this, but she was smart to leave Siniva here. Pure genius. But she's going back to her foolishness by trying to patch things up with Severus-" Caleb said._

 _Snape sat back in his armchair. Caleb stopped talking._

 _"Of course she is. What better thing does she have going on? Nothing." Snape agreed._

 _"She doesn't work, she isn't married and now she doesn't have Siniva. My princess of a sister doesn't have to worry about anything financially or, for that matter, not much personally." Caleb said._

 _"Such a shame. She could put herself to use. I'm sure Azkaban is always looking for an extra soul." Snape replied._

 _"Sorry, Dementors, you're out of luck. She doesn't have one." Caleb said._

 _"I'll see you in the morning." Celina said, standing. She yawned as she walked upstairs._

 _"So the problem is that she doesn't have anything or anyone else to invest her energy into." Caleb continued._

 _"Then, what you're getting at, is if she finds someone else, she'll leave me and Siniva alone?" Snape wondered._

 _"Hey, it's happened before, it can happen again." Caleb answered. "I just feel bad for whoever she hooks up with next."_

 _"Who wouldn't?" Snape said._

Siniva broke through the surface of the Pensieve.

"I remember...kind of." Siniva said.

"You haven't seen him since Christmas a few years ago." Snape told her. "It's easy to forget."

"I guess so." Siniva said. "What's next?"

Siniva and Snape stood on a street unfamiliar to her, but familiar to him.

 _Snape appeared on the doorstep of a well-kept, light grey house, Siniva in his arms, anger burning on his face._

 _"Caleb," Snape said. "She's back."_

 _"Come inside, Severus." Caleb told him._

 _Memory-Snape crossed the threshold. Snape and Siniva followed him._

 _Celina Rowan stood in the kitchen, preparing tea when Snape and Caleb sat in the den._

 _"What happened?" Caleb asked._

 _"I was sitting at home, reading. There was a knock at the front door, but she didn't wait for me to let her in." Snape started. "When she told me she wanted to see Siniva, I told her to leave. She demanded that I let her upstairs and I told her again to leave. When she started up the stairs anyway, I pulled her back and she got past me again."_

 _Caleb leaned forward in his seat as Snape went on._

 _"Siniva heard us fighting." he said, but Caleb cut him off._

 _"How do you know?"_

 _"She's only just stopped crying. Anyway, I finally got Venia to leave and I came here." he said._

 _"I doubt that's the last you'll see of her." Caleb said. "You can stay here if you need to. She hasn't come here in years. Not after I finally told her off for being a terrible sister."_

 _"Thank you, Caleb. The school term will be starting back up soon, so we won't be here very long. Only a few days, then we'll be on our way back to Hogwarts." Snape said._

 _"How do you manage to raise a child when you live in a school?" Celina wondered._

 _"I do my best." Snape replied simply._

 _"Well, whatever it is that you're doing, it's working. Siniva loves you so much. You're a terrific father." Celina said._

"How _did_ you do it, dad?" Siniva wondered as she touched back down to the ground in Snape's office.

"You were always a very calm child. I taught three classes in the morning while you slept, and I had the rest of the day off to spend with you." Snape told Siniva, hugging her to his side.

"Well, aunt Celina was right. You're a terrific father and I love you so much." Siniva said.

"And I love you so much." Snape told her. "Now, if you're feeling better, we'll go to the Great Hall."

"I guess I should eat something." Siniva said.

Snape pushed the Pensieve back into the cabinet. He and Siniva left the office and headed for the Great Hall, side by side.


End file.
